Learning Intention I am learning about the Summer

Learning Intention • I am learning about the Summer Solstice. Success Criteria • I can explain what the Summer Solstice is, when it happens and how it is celebrated. Cf. E • By safely observing and recording the Sun and Moon at various times, I can describe their patterns of movement and changes over time. I can relate these to the length of a day, a month and a year. SCN 1 -06 a

Summer Solstice The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth. Countries above the equator are in the northern hemisphere. Countries below the equator are in the southern hemisphere. Which hemisphere do you live in?

Earth and Sun The Earth orbits or moves on a path around the Sun. This orbit takes around one year. Can you imagine a pole going through Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole? This pole would be called the Earth’s axis. The Earth spins around this axis. The axis is not straight; it tilts the Earth over. This means the Earth leans at an angle. At different times of the year, as it journeys around the Sun, some places on Earth are nearer to the Sun than others.

Earth and Sun The Earth orbits or moves on a path around the Sun. This orbit takes around one year. If you live in the northern hemisphere (above the equator), Earth is tilted closer to the Sun in the summer, giving you more light and heat. The northern hemisphere is further away from the Sun in the winter and countries receive less light and heat.

Summer Solstice Can you spot when it is Summer in the northern hemisphere? When is the northern hemisphere tilted towards the Sun?

Summer Solstice Spring Sun Winter Summer This diagram shows the seasons in the northern hemisphere. Autumn Can you see how the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun in summer?

What Is the Summer Solstice? The Summer Solstice happens when the Earth has reached the part of its orbit when the North Pole is most tilted towards the sun. It marks the change when the days in the northern hemisphere begin to grow shorter. The Winter Solstice in December marks the change when days begin to grow longer. The word solstice comes from Latin words which mean ‘sun stand still’. During the solstice, for people in the northern hemisphere, the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky and after the solstice the sun gradually gets lower. The Summer Solstice happens around June 21 st. This is also known as midsummer and is the longest day and shortest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. On this day there is the most amount of sunshine.

Summer Solstice in the Far North Around the Summer Solstice, northern hemisphere countries in the Arctic Circle, like parts of Norway, Finland, Greenland Alaska have day light all day long. This is sometimes called the midnight sun. In the Arctic Circle the sun does not set and this is all because of the tilt of the Earth's axis. In the U. K. from mid-May to mid. July the Shetland Islands and Orkney enjoy the simmer dim or summer twilight. This is when the sun only sets for a few hours so it never gets really dark. In fine weather the islands can have almost 19 hours of sunshine a day. Photo courtesy of ronnierob(@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Solstice Celebrations For thousands years there been solstice celebrations around the Today festivals, ofbonfires and have parades mark the Summer Solstice around world. The hours of daylight and the seasons were important to the people the northern hemisphere. who lived by growing, hunting and gathering long ago. In England many people gather at Stonehenge which is believed to have been an important religious site 4000 years ago. At the Summer Solstice, some of the stones at Stonehenge line up the rising sun.

Solstice Celebrations On the Orkney Islands, Summer Solstice is celebrated at the ancient standing stone circle of the Ring of Brodgar. Photo courtesy of shadowgate(@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution